SANAA – Gulf states heaped pressure on Yemen’s embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Thursday, announcing they expect him to quit after more than two months of bloody protests.
Members of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council “hope to reach a deal with the Yemeni president to step down,” said Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani. Saleh had on Wednesday welcomed Gulf mediation, according to a statement on Saba state news agency, which said he “affirmed the necessity of a serious and fruitful dialogue to overcome the current crisis.”
The exit plan offered to Saleh would see him hand power over to his deputy, while providing guarantees of protection to the strongman and his family, said the opposition. A diplomat in Sanaa confirmed the content of the proposal, adding it includes forming a national unity government led by the opposition.
The offer bears a resemblance to one the opposition itself profferred at the weekend calling for Saleh to make way for Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi to head a caretaker regime. A Yemeni opposition leader told AFP on Thursday that any efforts to help usher Saleh out of office was “naturally welcome”.
“The ball is in Saleh’s court and any developments resulting from any delay would be his responsibility,” said Mohammed al-Sabri, a leading figure in the opposition Common Forum. Saleh, a close US and Saudi ally who has been in power since 1978, has faced nationwide protests since late January calling for his departure.
Around 125 people have been killed, according to medics and witnesses. Despite Saleh being a key US partner in its fight against Al-Qaeda, Washington slammed the heavyhanded response by security forces to protests in the cities of Taez and Hudaydah where around 20 demonstrators were shot dead this week.
“The United States strongly condemns the use of violence by Yemeni government forces against demonstrators in Sanaa, Taez and Hudaydah in the past several days,” said White House spokesman Jay Carney. Ambassadors from GCC countries have delivered invitations to Saleh and the opposition to attend proposed talks in Riyadh, but a date for such talks has not be disclosed.
Both parties have welcomed the invitation, but the Qatar prime minister’s statement appeared to show that Gulf states, which have been traditionally strong backers of Saleh, have decided to let him go. In a statement on Saturday, the opposition stipulated the formation of a transitional national council, beginning a wide-reaching national dialogue, and forming a committee of specialists to draft constitutional reforms.
It also demanded the establishment of temporary national unity government led by the opposition and encompassing “all political parties, (demonstrating) youth, and businessmen.” But the youth movement leading protests across the country appeared unimpressed by proposed talks and handing power to Saleh’s deputy, saying the president’s departure has to come first.
